Bathrooms: a Sydney bathroom with personality

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A careful insertion of colour enlivens this Sydney bathroom by Pohio Adams Architects. The design also takes full advantage of the natural light offered, complemented by concealed and featured electric lighting.

Pohio Adams Architects bucks the all-white trend in bathrooms with careful notes of colour, which also give the space a unique character from the rest of the house. Photograph by Sharrin Rees.

HOME All-white bathrooms seem to be a common default mode, so how did you break out of it?Chris Adams, Pohio Adams Architects Decisions driving the house design were about reflecting the clients’ personalities and an exploration of materials and how they would weather, so the home’s roof is raw zinc, the vanity solid oak, the tapware and hardware raw brass. We chose the tiles because they are hand-made, subtly inconsistent in colour and texture and could be ordered in a great range of custom colours. We could achieve a consistency of material through the house, but create a very different character for each bathroom through varying colours and patterns.

HOME This bathroom is an amazingly light space. What design moves did you make to ensure this? And how did you plan the placement of electric lighting?Chris Adams There is a certain luxury to being bathed in bright natural light, and the elevation and orientation of this bathroom allowed us to fully exploit this possibility. Natural light is complemented by concealed LED lighting in the alcove, cast-glass, zinc, and brass pendants with old ‘squirrel cage’ lamps, and indirect concealed fluorescent uplights. Concealed lighting provides just the right light level to negotiate the bathroom in the middle of the night, while incandescent pendants provide a flattering side lighting, avoiding the ugly shadowing effects of downlights. Fluorescents provide the functional infill lighting when required. The colour temperature of the lights is carefully coordinated to provide consistency of feel and a flattering softness that complements the material palette.

HOME What makes a good bathroom?Chris Adams The right balance of functionality and luxury. The feel of the materials and the sense of calmness they evoke.